000 AGXX40 KNHC 081820 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 240 PM EDT MON APR 8 2013 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC...AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... 1025 MB HIGH CENTERED ACROSS W ATLANTIC BETWEEN HATTERAS AND BERMUDA ANCHORS RIDGE EXTENDING SW TO N CENTRAL GULF THIS MORNING AND WILL DOMINATE THE BASIN THROUGH WEDNESDAY. LATEST OBSERVATIONS DEPICT MODERATE TO FRESH SE WINDS PREVAILING OVER MOST OF THE GULF WATERS EXCEPT FOR LIGHT WINDS NE PART. RIDGE TO REMAIN IN PLACE AND REALIGN MORE W TO E THROUGH TUESDAY... ALLOWING FOR SLIGHT VEERING OF FLOW AND INCREASING TO 20-25 KT LATE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT FORECAST TO REACH THE TEXAS COAST WEDNESDAY. SEAS TO BUILD TO 7- 9 FT BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON NW PORTIONS AND INCREASE TO 8-9 FT BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. STRONG WINDS TO 25 KT FORECAST BY MODELS W OF THE FRONT OVER THE MEXICAN COASTAL WATERS AND REACHING INTO W BAY OF CAMPECHE BY LATE THURSDAY. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... GALE CENTER NE OF THE AREA CONTINUES WITH IMPROVED ORGANIZATION DRAGGING A COLD FRONT THROUGH 31N52W TO NEAR 25N60W...WITH STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY THEN EXTENDING SW TO THE SE BAHAMAS. OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS...THE W ATLANTIC RIDGE REALIGNS MORE W TO E AND TRADES BEGIN TO FRESHEN ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN. WW3 SLIGHTLY UNDERDONE WITH NELY SWELL N OF 26N THIS MORNING...BY 1-2 FT PER BUOYS OBSERVATIONS. THIS NE SWELL TO PEAK ACROSS THE SE BAHAMAS THIS EVENING AND THEN ACROSS THE GREATER ANTILLES THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING...WITH SEAS 6-7 FT. WINDS ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA WILL GRADUALLY VEER TO EASTERLY BY TUESDAY AND FRESHEN THROUGH THE SRN BAHAMAS...BECOMING E TO SE 15-20 KT WED AS COLD FRONT APPROACHES NW GULF OF MEXICO. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC S OF 22N W OF 55W... SCATTEROMETER AND BUOY OBSERVATIONS INDICATE 20 KT TRADES CONTINUE TO BE CONFINED TO S OF 14N AND EXTEND BETWEEN 63W AND 77W. GENTLE TO MODERATE WINDS ARE FOUND ACROSS ALL BUT S PORTIONS OF THE TROPICAL ATLC WATERS DUE TO WEAK TROUGHING OCCURRING JUST AHEAD OF ATLC COLD FRONT...WHILE STEADY STREAM OF ENE TRADE WIND SWELL CENTERED AROUND 9 SECONDS IS MAINTAINING SEAS 6-8 FT THERE. SEAS WILL GRADUALLY FADE DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. W ATLC HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL BECOME WELL ESTABLISHED THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AND INCREASE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS ENTIRE BASIN...YIELDING STRONG TRADES S OF 15N ACROSS THE CENTRAL CARIB AND THROUGH GULF OF HONDURAS. NOCTURNAL WIND MAXES EACH NIGHT FORECAST TO REACH 25 TO 30 KT OFF COLOMBIA BEGINNING TONIGHT AND IN GULF OF HONDURAS STARTING TONIGHT. OTHERWISE MODERATE TO FRESH TRADES WILL PREVAIL OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST WATERS... MORE TYPICAL OF SEASONAL TRADEWINDS. WARNINGS... GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .NONE. SW N ATLC... .NONE. EFFECTIVE 20 MARCH 2013...TAFB GRIDDED MARINE FORECASTS FOR 10-M WINDS...10-M WIND GUSTS...SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS AND HAZARDS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE NATIONAL DIGITAL FORECAST DATABASE (NDFD) ON AN EXPERIMENTAL BASIS AT: HTTP://PREVIEW.WEATHER.GOV/GRAPHICAL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIFICATION/PNS13OFFSHORE_HIGHSEAS.HTM NOTE...GRIDDED MARINE FORECASTS AT WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TAFB/GRIDDED_MARINE WILL BE DISCONTINUED ONCE THE "OCEANIC" VIEW IS ADDED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL NDFD GRAPHICAL INTERFACE. $$ FORECASTER LANDSEA/STRIPLING